1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional multi-function peripherals (MFPs), as shown in Japanese Patent No. 4745657, for example, there exist those that enter a state upon activation in which anyone can use the multi-function peripheral without requiring a user authentication, but that require a user authentication in a case where a particular function is used. This kind of MFP is provided with a user authentication function for permitting a usage of the function only in a case where the user authentication succeeds.
Normally, in this kind of user authentication function, configuration is taken such that an administrator of the MFP can set freely the functions for which the user authentication is required from out of the plurality of functions that the MFP has in accordance with a usage status of the MFP, the user, or the like. For example, in an MFP having a copy function, a transmission function, a save function, or the like, it is possible to set such that any user can use the copy function, and that only a user A can use the transmission function, and only a user B can use the save function.
Also, amongst MFPs there are those in which a concept known as “a role”, which corresponds to a user group, has been introduced in order to manage an authority for using each of the plurality functions of the MFP, collectively for a plurality of users. For example, assume that a role 1, in which usage of the transmission function is permitted and usage of the save function is prohibited, and a role 2, in which the usage of the transmission function is prohibited and the usage of the save function is permitted are registered, and the role 1, is assigned to users A and B, while the role 2, is assigned to a user C. In such a case, function control in which only the users A and B are allowed to use the transmission function, and only the user C is allowed to use the save function can be realized. Also, by simply changing the authority of the role 1, it is possible to change the authorities of the users A and B collectively, and thus the management of the authorities of the users becomes easy.
In an MFP that, upon activation, activates in a state where only limited functions can be used without a user authentication, and requires the user authentication in a case where the user uses a particular function, as described above, there is the following problem. In these kinds of MFPs, upon activation, a particular user (referred to here as “an automatic login user”) logs in automatically, for example. Also, in a case where the user uses the particular function, the user is allowed to log in as another user (referred to here as “a login user”). In a case where, on an MFP that performs this kind of function control, a role is assigned to the automatic login user in order to allow the authority of the automatic login user to be changeable, it could occur that an authority of a login user is more limited than the authority of the automatic login user depending on the setting of the authorities of the roles.
For example, assume that setting is performed so that for a role 1, the usage of the transmission function is permitted, and the usage of the save function is prohibited, and for a role 2, the usage of the transmission function is prohibited and the usage of the save function is permitted, and that the role 1, is assigned to the automatic login user and the role 2, is assigned to the login user. In such a case, the user of the MFP is able to use the transmission function in the state of the automatic login prior to the user authentication, but the user authentication is required in order to use the save function. While the save function becomes useable when the user logs into the MFP as the login user by the user authentication, the transmission function, which could be used as the automatic login user prior to the authentication becomes unusable. Also, it is necessary to first log out to return to the automatic login state, in order for the user that logged in as the login user to use the transmission function.
In this way, in a case where, for each function of the MFP, it is controlled individually whether usage is permitted or not by user authentication, there is the possibility that a particular function will become unusable after authentication, depending on settings of a use authority for a function for a user prior to the authentication and settings of a use authority for the function for the user after the authentication.